The Eastern Rebels
by iFlygon
Summary: Joseph Steele, a former State Alchemist. After discovering a dark secret about the military, he joins a mysterious rebel group and begins to fight to bring down the Amestrian government. Rated T. Manga-based.
1. Ambushed

Edit - August 06, 2010 - Fixed some terrible typos I made.

**Hello, people. This happens to be my first fanfic here, or anywhere for that matter, so I hope you like it. It's in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, but it takes place about halfway through the Ishbal War, around six years before the main story with Edward and Alphonse. Please read and review. As my first fanfic, I really want reviews so I can find out if it's worth continuing with this story.**

**The Eastern Rebels**

**Chapter One: Ambushed**

"Move, move, move!" yelled the officer to the small group of soldiers following him. Ten men dressed in blue uniforms ran into the one and only street of a desert town, guns raised at the windows of the houses that lined the street.

"It looks secure, Captain!" A soldier yelled to the officer.

"Good. You can enter now, Major Steele," the officer said to a man standing next to him.

"Thank you, Captain Prescott. Although I don't see why you find it so important to protect me. I'm fine on my own," the man replied with a grin. His dirty blond hair shone in the desert light, although it was quickly fading, and soon it would be night.

"Orders from the higher ups," Captain Prescott said with a shrug as he and Major Steele started to walk down the street, "Now, what are you supposed to do once we've deemed this place secure? I was told you were a State Alchy-something?"

"A State Alchemist," Steele said, showing Prescott a silver pocket watch dangling on a chain from his waist, "Normally we only use our powers to help around Amestris, but Fuhrer Bradley is thinking about sending a few of us into Ishbal as soldiers. He thinks our skills can be used to quell the rebellion faster than with normal soldiers. I've been sent in along with a few other alchemists to battle for a while. If we are able to effectively win battles faster than usual, he might make a formal decree. Ok, now get ready to see something really interesting."

"And what would that be Maj- LOOK OUT!" Captain Prescott suddenly screamed as he ducked down along with Major Steele and took out a pistol. In a few of the windows on the other end of the town the sound of gunfire could be heard, and two of the soldiers that had been sent into the town fell to the ground, already dead. The other eight made a semi-circle around the Major and Captain, hunched down, and fired back at the gunmen. One of them fell out of a window, but another soldier fell too. The man was wearing simple robes, but was carrying a military-issue rifle. It was hard to see from a distance, but he had dark skin and red eyes.

"Retreat!" Major Steele yelled to the remaining soldiers, which was now down to a meager four, as he pulled a pair of gloves out of his pockets and put them on his hands.

"But our mission is to protect you from the Ishbalans! Ouch!" Prescott exclaimed, but then winced as a bullet grazed his upper arm.

"I'm a Major, and you're a Captain. Get out," Steele said quietly, and turned to the four soldiers, "Protect him. I'll meet you up on the outskirts of this village. This is a direct order from me, Major Joseph Steele! Now move!"

The remaining soldiers hastily retreated, dragging Captain Prescott along with them.

"Now...time for the show," Joseph Steele mumbled, and crouched down to the ground. He put both of his gloved hands on the rough, sandy street, and watched as the circles etched onto his gloves began to glow. Within moments, a circle, roughly 5 feet in diameter encircled him. Within the circle was a marking that began to glow brighter and brighter, "Take this, Ishbalans!"

The bullets stopped flying when the glowing began, but once the men in the houses regained their senses, they began to shoot again. Before a bullet could hit the alchemist, a wall of stone came out of the ground and around him. He heard the shooting stop again, so he ran into a house about 4 blocks away from where the shooters were. Joseph walked to the wall of the house, which was pretty much a stone and straw shack, and put his hands on it. The circle that had encircled his earlier appeared on the wall, which suddenly burst into pieces. Joseph walked over the rubble, and did it again on the next wall. In a few minutes, he had made it to the house where a few of the gunmen were. He pulled a bayonet out of a sheath attached to his belt, and a pistol out of the other side of his belt.

The house he was in now was 2 stories tall, and he slowly walked up the creaky stairs, knowing fully well that it was too loud to apply stealth. When he got to the top of the stairs, he stared at the door blocking his path, and put his head closer to it. He could hear the faint _click-clack _of a shotgun being loaded. He aimed his pistol around where the man's chest would be if he opened the door. He took a deep breath, and kicked the door. The moment it flew open, he fired 3 shots with his pistol, and the man on the other side had fallen before he could register what had happened. He spun around and gasped as another Ishbalan, his red eyes only enhancing the look of rage on his face ran at him, with his gun flipped around like a club. Joseph jumped to the side and ducked, and the man ran right past him. Joseph took the bayonet in his hand and threw it at the Ishbalan's back, killing him. Steele looked at the floor, panting.

_There's still more of them across this street..._ he thought, _I could go and fight, but they'll mow me down. Time to use my alchemy for the reason I got sent into battle._

He walked back down the stairs, and opened the door of the house. He took a step outside, and jumped back instantly as a cloud of dust appeared in front of him from the bullets that began to fly at him.

"Alright," he said quietly, "One." He pressed his hands together. "Two." The circles on his gloves began to glow. "Three!" He ran out of the empty house and looked up for a second to see which window he was being shot from, then jumped down and pressed his hands to the sand. An circle, even larger than the last one, appeared around him. Suddenly, the sand and rocks around him started to form into large spikes that grew out of the ground. The spikes grew longer and longer at a faster pace and smashed into the house where the Ishbalans were hiding. The wall facing the street quickly broke into broken pieces of wood and brick. The house began to wobble on it's foundations, and with a loud crash, it tumbled down, all the gunmen in it dead.

Major Steele turned away with a sigh and took a few steps back to Captain Prescott when he head a crack and a rustle to his right. An Ishbalan, his clothes ripped and his face covered in dust, stumbled out of the ruined house, the stone spikes still looming over the rubble.

"How-" he stopped to take a deep breath, "Did you do that?"

"Alchemy," Major Steele replied calmly.

"What is your name?" The Ishbalan asked.

"Major Joseph Steele."

"Of course. I was told to be careful around this area of Ishbal. You 'State Alchemists' were being sent in to battle us. You monster, using the art forbidden by Ishbala! And to kill, nonetheless."

"Silence, Ishbalan. I'm not interested in your religious beliefs. As a survivor, you're going to have to be put into custody. I'm not evil enough to kill you now. You had enough guts to shoot at me and my comrades, then come out and yell at me. I'll commend you for your bravery. Now move."

The Ishbalan looked around, and ran off as fast as his feet would carry him, but Joseph just sighed. He crouched down, and put his hands on the sand again. A small circle appeared around only his hands, and about 40 feet ahead of him, the Ishbalan fell flat on his face. The sand he had been running on suddenly began to move, and tied itself around his legs, rendering him immobile.

Joseph walked back to the other end of the town, where the 4 remaining soldiers and Captain Prescott were waiting for him, along with a military truck.

"Yeah, you sure showed them!" Prescott exclaimed, and gave Joseph a pat on the back, "What you did with that stone wall, and then those giant spikes! No wonder they call you the Terraform Alchemist!"

"Yeah, um, thanks," Joseph said, and made a small smile, "There's just one thing. There was one survivor, and I have him sitting at the end of the street. Could you-"

"Of course!" Captain Prescott exclaimed, then pointed to two of the soldiers with them, "There's an Ishbalan that survived that crazy attack. Could you two go down there and get him for us?"

"Yes, sir!" they both said with a salute, and started to walk down the street.

Joseph looked at the two men and thought at what the Ishbalan had said.

_I've been in Ishbal for little more than a week, and already I'm hated even more than any of the other soldiers. He called me a monster...I'm just fighting for the people...aren't I?_ He thought.

"Joseph, snap out of it. Hey, Joseph!" Prescott yelled, "What time is it?"

"Huh, what?" Joseph exclaimed, "Uh, sorry." He look out his State Alchemist's pocket watch and checked it, "It's 7:48."

"It's getting late. Once they get back with the Ishbalan, we should head back to base."

"Good idea," Joseph said, as the two soldiers returned.

"Here he is," one of them said. The Ishbalan had been put in handcuffs and a blindfold had been put over his eyes.

"Where are you taking me, alchemist!" he exclaimed, "You're a monster! First you kill my people, then you take any survivors prisoner!"

"Shut up. You're lucky Joseph here didn't kill you," Captain Prescott said as the two other soldiers joined in to put the Ishbalan in the back of the truck, and then all four went in too. Prescott got into the driver's seat, and Joseph joined him in the passenger's seat. As Prescott began to drive away from the ruined town, Joseph's eyes began to close, and he soon fell asleep.

**I hope you guys liked the first chapter. I'll attempt to make another chapter for tomorrow, even if you didn't really like this one (Although I really hope you do :P)**

**Don't forget to review!**


	2. The Discovery

**And here's the second chapter.**

**Chapter 2: The Discovery**

"Joseph. Hey, Joseph. Wake up, we've been driving for two hours. Well, if I can't wake you up, the fort's searchlights will," a disembodied voice said.

"Huh?" Joseph mumbled as he began to open his eyes, "Are we there yet?"

The truck Joseph Steele was riding in was being driven by Captain Matthew Prescott, and in the back were four soldiers escorting a prisoner Joseph had captured. They had driven up to the gate of a large military base, Fort Byrd. It was a four story concrete building surrounded by a 15 foot high fence topped with barbed wire. Every 10 feet down the fence was a guard tower and two soldiers. Every other tower also had a large searchlight.

The truck drove up to the gate of the fort, and a light shined down on them.

"AAHHH!" Joseph screamed as the light blinded his tired eyes, "It freaking _burns_!"

"I told you," Prescott chuckled as the gates of the fort opened up, and he drove it in.

He drove up to the wall of the fort, and a man ran up to them. He was a short man, with his hair turning gray, other than his black bangs, which hung down at the sides of his face. Wearing a lab coat over a military uniform, he looked at the truck driving in with a small smile.

"Ah, Dr. Marcoh!" Prescott exclaimed, and got out of the truck.

"Hello, Matthew," Marcoh replied, "How have you been?"

"Well, we got ambushed in an Ishbalan village, but Joseph here got rid of them," Prescott said, pointing to Joseph, who was slowly trudging out of the truck, rubbing his eyes. Behind him, four men were dragging a man out of the back of the truck.

"Is that an Ishbalan?" Marcoh asked, seeing the man's dark skin, white hair, and red eyes.

"Yeah, one survived Joseph's attack, so we took him prisoner. We're going to send him into interrogation."

"Uh, eh-em," Marcoh cleared his throat, "Yeah, g- good idea. Send him into interrogation. But when you left to that village, didn't you have a group of ten? Now there are only four. Were they...?"

"Yeah. The Ishbalans shot them down," Joseph said sadly, having walked up to Marcoh and Prescott.

"I'm so sorry...were any of you hurt?" Marcoh asked, and put his hands in his pockets.

"I got nicked in the arm," Prescott said, showing him a small bloody spot on his upper arm. Marcoh took two red stones out of his pockets and held them over the wound.

"Wait a second!" Joseph exclaimed, "Are those- Did you find out how to create a Philosopher's Stone!"

"Hehe, yup." Marcoh said with a smile, "Now watch what they can do."

The two stones began to glow red in Marcoh's hands. He rubbed the stones together, and the brightness grew greater. The light enveloped his hands, and then reached Prescott's arm. The glowing began to fade, and then stopped. The blood on Prescott's arm was gone.

"I- I'm healed!" he said, stretching his arm.

"Unbelievable," Joseph said quietly, "How did you create it?"

"Huh? Well, uh," Marcoh looked down at the ground, his smile gone, "I'll tell you someday. Don't worry, you'll find out. You're a good alchemist, Joseph, but I don't think you're skilled enough to know how to create one."

Joseph groaned, then sighed, "Alright."

"Thank you," Marcoh said, and he put the Stones back in his pockets.

"Now, to deal with this guy," Joseph said to the four soldiers carrying the Ishbalan prisoner, "Could you guys send him down to the fort's prison?"

"Yes sir!" they said, and dragged the man over to the door.

"By the way, why isn't he talking? I thought you only blindfolded him," Joseph asked.

"Well, Major..." one of the soldiers began, "He wouldn't shut up so, well, we knocked him out."

"Oh, my," Joseph sighed, "Alright. Just go take him down to the prison."

The soldiers left, and Joseph turned to Prescott, "Tough day, huh?"

"Yeah," Prescott replied, "I think you should go to sleep now. You've had a rougher day than me."

"Thanks for the idea, but I have to report to the Major General first."

"Ah, that sucks. Leave a good report for me," Prescott said as he and Joseph walked into the building.

"Yeah, I'll especially commend you on your crappy driving. I could barely sleep during that ride."

"The ground was bumpy!" Prescott exclaimed, and smiled, "See you tomorrow, Joseph."

"Good night, Matthew," Joseph said, and took a left turn in the hallway, while Matthew turned right.

Joseph went into a stairway and up to the fourth floor. He turned a corner, and knocked on a door that had "Major General Walter Blackwood" written on it.

"Who is it?" an irritated voice called.

"The Terraform Alchemist," Joseph replied.

"Who?"

Joseph sighed, "Major Joseph Steele."

"Oh, then come in."

Joseph walked into the room, and smiled at the Major General waiting for him. His smile quickly turned into a face of indifference, however, when the Major General looked at him coldly with his dark eyes.

"Hello, sir," Joseph said.

"Hi. What happened on your first mission?" he asked quickly. He had short black hair, with some of it turning gray. His desk was tidy, and behind him was a plaque showing all of his military accomplishments.

"Um, well, we got ambushed. 6 of the 10 men Captain Prescott and I brought with us were killed. I killed the Ishbalans who were attacking us, but one survived, so we took him prisoner."

"6 men killed out of 10?"

"I know, sir. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, kid. Anything else?"

"I saw that Doctor Marcoh created two Philosopher's Stones, but he wouldn't tell me how."

"I can show you. You're a State Alchemist. You won't tell anyone, will you?"

Joseph's smile returned, "Really? Thank you, sir! And of course I won't tell anyone."

"I think that you, as an alchemist, will find the process incredibly fascinating," the Major General said, and got up and over to the door, "Let's go."

Joseph and the Major General walked down to the first floor, when the Major General took out a key, and opened a door leading to a staircase that went down to the basement.

"The Stones are made in the basement?" Joseph asked, not understanding where they were about to go.

"It's top secret."

"Ok, then, sir."

They reached a large metal door down in the basement, and the Major General knocked on it. A small slit opened up, and a man asked, "Identification?"

"Major General Blackwood. One guest. State Alchemist."

The door began to opened up, and the Major General turned to Joseph, "Kid, remember what you're going to see. This is the future of Amestris."

The door opened up, and Joseph could only stare.

Inside the room was a large transmutation circle for alchemy. On it were two pentagons. On every corner of the pentagons was one man, unconcious and tied up. In the back of the room, Dr. Marcoh began to raise his hands. Joseph looked around at the men laying on the ground. One of them looked familiar, and Joseph gasped. One of them was the same man he had captured as a prisoner in the Ishbalan town, and he was about to be turned into a Philosopher's Stone.

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	3. Escape

**And here we have Chapter 3.**

**Chapter 3: Escape**

Joseph stared at what was taking place in front of him. Dr. Marcoh raised his arms above his head, and the transmutation circle in front of him began to glow brighter and brighter. The red light became blinding, and Joseph covered his eyes. As the glowing began to fade, he opened his eyes and looked around. The ten men who were laying on the circle were on gone, and in their place was a small stone in the center. Dr. Marcoh slowly stepped up to it, and picked it up.

"This is how Philosopher's Stones are made!" Joseph exclaimed to Major General Walter Blackwood, who was looking at the stone in awe.

"Yup. And as long as this war goes on, we can make them over and over again!" he said happily.

_Marcoh..._ Joseph thought, _I respected you. I thought you became an alchemist to help people. And you're using prisoners to create Philosopher's Stones!_

"Alright then, let's go back up," Blackwood said.

"Yes, sir," Joseph said, lost in thought.

When they got back to Blackwood's office, the Major General said, "Now wasn't that something? Alright, now you can go to sleep."

"Actually, sir," Joseph said quietly, and he took out his State Alchemist's pocket watch, then put it on Blackwood's desk, "I resign."

"Wh- what?" he said, and laughed, "You're kidding, aren't you?"

"No, sir. I'm resigning. I don't want to be a soldier anymore. Or a State Alchemist."

"Unbelievable...well...ok...I'll have some soldiers escort you back to East City in the morning."

"Thank you, sir," Joseph said, and left the office, then went back to his bedroom. Instead of changing, he simply laid down on his bed, thinking about what he saw.

_I can't stay in a military like this. I'll kill to protect my country, but this...no_, he thought, when he heard some shuffling outside his door. The doorknob began to turn slowly, and he took his pistol out of his pocket, unsure of who was coming in. The door suddenly flew open, and three soldiers walked in, aiming guns at Joseph.

"What is this?" he exclaimed.

"You're under arrest, Mr. Steele," one of the men said.

"What! What did I do!"

One of the soldiers punched Joseph in the stomach, and he fell to the ground.

"I know what this is about," he gasped, "I quit after seeing a stone being made, right? That's why, isn't it!"

Two soldiers grabbed his arms and pulled him up.

"You know what?" he said quietly, "I'm not going!"

Joseph ran forward up to his wall, and put both his hands on it. A transmutation circle appeared, and the soldiers raised their guns. As they were about to shoot, stone ropes shot out the wall and tied themselves around them.

"I should have expected this," Joseph mumbled and ran out the door, then to the first floor. When he turned the corner, a few more soldiers turned to him and began to fire. He turned back and used alchemy to build a wall in the middle of the hallway. He opened up a random door and ran in.

He was in the room with the stairs that took you down to the basement. Joseph smirked and walked down the stairs, then over to the metal door. Instead of knocking on it, he put his hands on the wall next to it, and opened up a hole. The room with the transmutation circle was almost empty, except for one person.

"Doctor Marcoh!" Joseph yelled, and Marcoh turned around, stunned.

"J- Joseph!" he said, stumbling on his desk and falling on the floor, "What do you want?"

"Why, Doctor?" Joseph said, and took out his gun, "Even your title is 'Doctor'. But do you see what you're doing! Killing innocent people to create Philosopher's Stones? Why!"

"I- I- Joseph..." Marcoh was lost for words.

"Speaking of the Philosopher's Stones, where are they?" Joseph asked as he walked closer to Marcoh.

"W- where? Why do you want to know?"

"I'm taking them. I'm leaving this place. After seeing what the Ishbalans are being used for, I quit the military and the State Alchemist program. Where are they?"

"I- I won't tell you."

"Really?" Joseph said, and pointed the gun at Marcoh.

"Ok! I'll give them to you!" Marcoh exclaimed, and took two stones out of his pockets, and handed them to Joseph. He leaned forward to take the stones, when he heard a quiet clicking. He looked behind his shoulder and stopped moving. A group of over twenty soldiers was in the room, and they were making a semicircle around him and Marcoh. Some soldiers walked out of the way.

Joseph quickly snatched the stones from Marcoh's hand and looked as Major General Blackwood walked in.

"Joseph...oh, Joseph," he said with a smile, "First you leave the military completely unannounced. That's not that bad. But then you attack three soldiers. And after that, you break down the wall to a top secret lab and attack our leading scientist!"

"You know what happened, Blackwood," Joseph said, furious at him, "_You_ attacked _me_! What was I supposed to do, let them arrest me? Would I end up being made into a Philosopher's Stone? Just like the Ishbalan prisoner I captured!"

"I don't understand what you're talking about, Joseph," Blackwood said.

"You little..." Joseph said, and grabbed Marcoh by his collar, then turned him around to face Blackwood.

"No!" the Major General exclaimed.

"I will," Joseph said, and put his gun to Marcoh's face, "if you fire at me, he'll die too!"

Blackwood stepped back and signaled for the soldiers with him to follow. Meanwhile, Joseph took the two Philosopher's Stones he had and put them on the ground, then put his hand on them.

"Goodbye, Major General Blackwood," he said, and a red transmutation circle appeared around him. Stone spikes appeared out of the ground and smashed into some of the soldiers, then one rammed itself at Blackwood, but he jumped out of the way. Joseph pushed Marcoh forward, and got up. He picked up the stones, and put both his hands on the ceiling. Another circle appeared, and the whole ceiling opened up above him. The rocks around him formed a platform that raised him up to the first floor. Joseph was in a random bedroom for soldiers, but it was empty. He ran out of the room and down the hall. He was almost out the door when a man blocked the way.

"Joseph?" the man said.

"Matthew," Joseph said quietly to Captain Prescott, who was standing in his way, "Move."

"I was told there was a dangerous prisoner who had escaped. They meant _you_?"

"In a way," Joseph said hurriedly, "Now move, I have to get out. You may be my friend, but I won't hesitate to at least knock you out."

"But _you_? Only a few hours ago we were driving into the fort. What did you do? Why are they attacking you?" Matthew continued asking.

"I don't have time to explain. Now get out of the way."

Mattew walked backwards, closer to the door, and took out a pistol, then whispered, "Run."

"What?"

"I'll pretend to be under attack. When they're distracted, you can get out."

Joseph smiled, "Thank you, Matthew. If I ever get the chance, I'll try to explain why I'm leaving."

"Alright then," Matthew said with a grin, "In 3, 2, 1!"

Matthew ran out the door, and Joseph ran after him.

"Help, help!" Matthew screamed to one of the watchtowers, and they moved their searchlight over to him. Thanks to the darkness, Joseph made it to the gate. He made a transmutation circle, and the sand around the other guard tower rose up around it, and in seconds, it had toppled to the ground. The light from the transmutation circle had given him away, however. Matthew had provided him a minute or two of protection, but now he was under fire.

Joseph ran directly underneath the tower while Matthew ran back the the fort. He used alchemy to have a pillar of sand smash into the gate and break it open. He started to run out of it, but not before breaking the other guard tower down. The searchlight stopped glowing, and he began to run to the east, away from the fort. After running for a couple of minutes, he looked back at Fort Byrd. All the searchlights were directed in his direction, but none saw him. On the main building, a cloud of dust was coming out of a few first floor windows from the ceiling he had broken open on the basement. Every five seconds, the whole building would glow red from alarm lights.

Joseph turned his back on the military he had left, and continued deeper into the desert.

**So? How was this chapter? Remember to review!**


	4. Joining the Cause

**Happy 4th of July, everyone! But not only is it the 4th of July, but it's also the 175th anniversary of my city's founding, and by some weird coincidence, it's Election Day! ...in Poland. Yes, I am Polish. And here I bring you the next chapter.**

**Chapter 4: Joining the Cause**

"How could I be so stupid!" Joseph yelled to the sky. He was trudging in the sand, dragging his uniform behind him, wearing the t-shirt that was under it instead, "I leave the military, take two Philosopher's Stones, and attack a military base. Cool. But did I _have_ to run the the _east_! I could have moved to an obscure village, like that Resembool place I drove through on the way to Ishbal. But no! I. Go. East."

Joseph had reached the Ishbalan village he had been attacked in a day earlier. The spikes he had created were still sticking up from the ground. He checked all the houses for food, but they were empty. He stepped out and looked around.

"Should I go back?" he said quietly.

"Hey, you!" a voice suddenly yelled.

Joseph sighed, "I'm hallucinating..."

"No you're not!" the voice said, "Behind you!"

Joseph looked around and quickly stepped back.

In front of him was a man with light brown hair, probably in his 50's or 60's, wearing a white uniform, similarly made to the Amestrian ones. The cuffs and collar were light blue, and the man also wore a white hooded cloak trimmed with gold. In his hands was a rifle that he was aiming at Joseph.

"Don't move, kid," the man said, "Now, what's your name?"

"M- Major Joseph Steele," he replied, "Just know that there's a military squadron who'll be here in a few minutes."

"I'm not stupid, kid," the man said, and laughed, "So, you're Joe Steele! I've heard about you!"

"You've heard about me?"

"Sure! What you did at Fort Byrd really helped us out." the man lowered his rifle.

"Who's 'us'?" Joseph asked.

"Well, the rebels," the man said matter-of-factly.

Joseph just stared at the man.

"Oh, you really haven't heard of us," he said and smiled at Joseph, "I guess I might as well explain. But it might take a while. I'm guessing you're pretty tired now, would you like some water?"

"You have water!" Joseph exclaimed.

"Yeah, come with me," the man said, and walked off.

Joseph hesitated, but decided to follow. Past the spikes was a truck which looked as if it could be from the Amestrian military, but on the hood a white, blue, and gold emblem was painted on. Joseph couldn't look at it longer, because the man handed him a bottle of water.

"I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Nathan Gates, former General."

"Former?" Joseph asked, after drinking almost all the water.

"Well, yeah. I left the military about twenty years ago. One of the youngest generals to ever be in the Amestrian military," Nathan said with a grin.

"And what do you do now? You said something about rebels."

"Uh-huh. Although the official title for our group is the Eastern Amestrian Underground Organization. Are you interested in joining our cause? You have nowhere else to go. Judging from your attack at Byrd, I'm guessing you don't exactly like the military's ideals."

"No, I don't, but what you're saying is so... strange. I've never heard of any rebel organizations in the East."

"Of course you haven't! And there aren't just organizations in the East. There are groups in every corner of the country. But think about it. How would the public react if they found out that the country was not only surrounded by dangerous neighboring countries, but that there were organizations attacking military outposts every few weeks. What if they found out that some of the military leaders they know and love were actually plotting to take over Central City? The public would go crazy! It's no surprise you've never heard of us."

"Eh..." Joseph mumbled, "This is just so..."

"Strange, akward, improbable? Of course? But what would you rather do? I can either recruit you as my personal assistant in the rebel base, or I can leave you here to die. What's your choice?"

"You know I can just kill you," Joseph said apprehensively, and took out his Philosopher's Stones.

"Heh, only two?" Nathan said and laughed, then he showed Joseph his right palm. He had a tattoo of a transmutation circle on it, and on three of his fingers he had a ring with a red stone on it.

"You're an alchemist?" Joseph exclaimed.

"Yup. So don't get cocky and say you can kill me. Now, I'll give you one final chance. Will you join us?"

For a minute or two, there was silence between them. Then Joseph nodded, "I'm in."

"Heh, good! I've wanted an assistant for a while now. Get in the truck and we'll drive to base," Nathan said, getting into the drivers seat. Joseph started to go around the truck, but then he saw the emblem on the hood.

It was a light blue diamond shape, and the right corner had a golden circle stamped on it, along with the letter "E". Inside the diamond, in gold, was what appeared to be a desert, and above it, a blue sky. Directly above the center of the desert was a pair of white wings.

When Joseph got into the truck, and Nathan began to drive farther east, to the Amestrian border, he asked, "What's that marking on the hood mean?"

"It's the emblem of the rebel leader in the east."

"Are you-"

"Oh, I haven't told you my proper title yet, have I?"

"I thought it was Nathan Gates, former General," Joseph said.

"It's the title I like to use, since my official one is really long."

"What is it?"

"Ok. I'll only say it once, so don't forget. My official title is: Nathaniel Arthur Gates, former Amestrian General, High Commander of the Eastern Rebel Forces."

Joseph stared at the man.

"Yeah...that's it. You're the assistant of the rebel leader. I should have told you that earlier, right?" he said, and laughed.

"Well, yeah. But as a rebel leader, can your army even stand up to the Amestrian one? Or even the smaller ones of Drachma or Xing?"

"I think so. Every few weeks or so we get into skirmishes with Amestrian scouting parties, or battalions who got lost. We usually destroy them with few casualties."

"What kind of base do you have? Is it big camp of tents, or something like that?"

Nathan started to laugh very loudly, and when he finally stopped, he sighed, and said, "You know how big Fort Byrd was?"

"Yeah."

"Bigger than that."

"Bigger? Are you kidding me?"

"Well, if you don't believe me, you'll find out soon enough. We're almost there!"

**And the story continues... remember to review!**


	5. Welcome to the Fort!

**Wow, it appears that almost every chapter has less words than the one before it, including this one! This must stop!**

**Well, after having writer's block for a few days, I bring you chapter five!**

**Chapter 5: Welcome to the Fort!**

"Just a few more minutes left," Nathan said, looking straight ahead.

Joseph looked in Nathan's direction, and saw a building, only a silhouette at the moment, but he could see that it was pretty big.

"How big is that place?" he asked.

"Eight floors, and three basement levels. Once we get closer, you'll start to see walls and outposts. There are about thirty of them in all, all topped with barbed wire and two guards," Nathan said.

"How did you build something like that?"

"Smuggled materials. We attacked military supply chains for wood, food, and water. Ah, here's the first outpost!" Nathan drove the truck up to a small tower that was about two stories tall.

"Wait, when did-" Joseph started, as he hadn't seen the tower until they were very close.

"It's camouflaged very well," Nathan said, and looked up at the second story of the tower, where two men with rifles and white and yellow uniforms looked down at them.

"Identification?" one asked.

"Commander Nathan Gates, escorting a new recruit."

Both men gave Nathan a salute, and the truck continued driving. Joseph heard a whoosh and a crack behind them, and when he turned around, a red flare was being shot over the tower. The next tower also shot a flare, and so did the other few. Nathan simply drove past three more, and the fortress was now clearer.

The building was made mostly of solid concrete and bricks, and around it was a large wall with battlements all around and artillery crews standing on them, prepared for any possible invasion. However, Joseph could only see the top three floors, since the wall was so high. Nathan finally drove up to it, and the gate slowly began to open. Joseph stared at the area past the wall.

Inside the fortress was a mass of houses, with streets and stores. The housing area went in a circle around the fort, and was about as wide as five of the houses, because farther in was a steel fence topped with barbed wire, surrounding the actual fort.

"There are actually houses inside the fort?" Joseph said, and Nathan drove down a short road and over the the fence. The people walking down the streets all looked at Nathan and smiled. Nathan waved back.

"Well, not everyone wants to be a rebel soldier. Some just want to escape, like the Ishbalans."

The gate to the fence opened up, and Nathan drove even farther. He turned right and got out of the truck.

"Come on, Joe!"

Joseph slowly walked out of the truck and looked around. Everywhere around the building were soldiers in white uniforms. Some had more decorated uniforms, and wore white and gold berets. Joseph guessed they were the higher ranking members. He only saw one wearing a cloak like Nathan, so he was probably a general, or whatever the rebel equivalent was. Nathan was talking to him, so Joseph went over to them.

"Hey, Joe, this is General Willett," Nathan said, introducing the man, who shook Joseph's hand.

"Hello, Joseph. My name is Daniel Willett, former Colonel."

"Um..." Joseph said, and looked at Nathan who stared at him as if to say 'Come on, say it!' "My name is Joseph Steele, former Major and State Alchemist."

"Really? A State Alchemist? Commander Gates, what rank is he getting? An alchemist can't start off as a Private."

"He won't, Willett," Nathan said, "He'll be my personal assistant. But officially...he can be a 1st Lieutenant. Now, let's go, Joseph. I have to give you a uniform. This is kind of awkward."

Just now Joseph noticed what he was wearing. He had his Amestrian suit tied around his waist, and the white shirt he was wearing instead was covered in sand. He and Nathan went into the fort, and continued walking down hallways. They continually passed by soldiers, and he repeatedly had to introduce himself as "Joseph Steele, former Major and State Alchemist", after which they would complement Nathan on getting a State Alchemist into the group. When they got to the second to last floor, Nathan brought Joseph to a large room full of uniforms.

"So, which one do I get?" Joseph asked.

"Hm..." Nathan said, walking around, looking at the pristine suits. He took a pair of pants that was just like the generic ones everyone else wore, and gave it to Joseph. Then, he took a uniform that was similar to the others. It was a similar design to the Amestrian one, but white. The zipper was trimmed with a golden color, as was the collar. The back half of the sleeves, from the wrists, up to the elbows, and then a little below the shoulders, were also gold. He threw it on top of the pants Joseph was already carrying. He then took a pair of red-tinged sunglasses and a white and gold beret. Even when that was done, Nathan opened up a small closet and threw Joseph a belt, then started to search through the closet.

"Here!" he said, and threw a gun at Joseph.

"Aaahh!" Joseph exclaimed as he tried to catch it so that it would land on the already heavy pile of clothes, and not on the floor, "Is this thing loaded!"

"I don't...think so," Nathan mumbled, and he threw another gun.

"Stop it!" Joseph screamed when the gun landed in his arms.

"Now, the first gun was a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. The other was a .357 Magnum. You are to treat them with unmost respect. If you want to name them, you can."

"You want me to name my weapons?" Joseph asked.

"You know that rifle I had with me when I first met you? Her name is Sheila."

"Um, that's..." Joseph stifled a laugh.

"Do you want Sheila to blow your brains out!" Nathan screamed.

"No, sir!"

"Good. Now go put on your uniform. There's a changing room here," Nathan pointed to a row of doors. Joseph went into one and started to change. When there was only the beret and belt to put on, he accidentally dropped the Magnum. It fell on the ground and fired.

"What was that?" Nathan said through the wall.

"Nothing, just the loaded gun you gave me!" Joseph screamed, and he picked up his shoe, which had a hole in it, "Do you have any extra boots?"

When he was finally finished changing, he looked at himself in a mirror.

"It looks good," he said, and Nathan smiled.

"Nice to know. You'll also get another gun later, preferably a sniper rifle. But for now, come with me," he said. Nathan just took him back outside. They walked to a soldier, who gave Joseph a clipboard.

"Ammunition, rust, other damages," Joseph read off of it, "What's this?"

"Your first mission as my personal assistant. You'll have to go to the battlements and inspect all the artillery. Ok?"

"Ok then," Joseph said, then quietly added, "My first job is simply to inspect guns..."

"Do you want me to get Sheila!" Nathan screamed.

"Sir, no, sir!" Joseph exclaimed, and he ran off towards the battlements.

**So, how did you like this chapter? It turns out that I write better the later at night it is. **

**And remember: Review!**


	6. Preparation

**This chapter is a bit longer than the others, but lots of stuff is starting to happen. Hope you like it!**

**Chapter 6: Preparation**

"Unit number 12, clean. No rust. No damage," Joseph said with a sigh. After getting threatened by Nathan to inspect the artillery, he discovered it wasn't as boring as he expected. It was worse. He had to climb up a ladder to the battlements, check every part of the gun for the slightest bit of dust, then look over the ammo, all with the sun beating down on him. Then he'd climb down, walk for a few minutes, then climb up another ladder.

He was about halfway through now, and checking the row of guns facing directly into Amestris. He was bored out of his mind, until he saw a man drawing a transmutation circle.

"Are you an alchemist?" he asked him.

The man turned around, and said, "No, just trying to build something. Are you one?"

"Kind of," Joseph replied, and held his hand out, "Joseph Steele, former Major and State Alchemist."

"Cool," the man said, and Joseph looked at his face. He looked a lot like Nathan, but scrawnier and not as happy, "Aaron Gates, never a soldier."

"Are you-"

"No, I'm not. I'm his nephew. My parents are dead," he said bluntly.

The way he had announced that his parents were dead gave Joseph a sense of regret. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it, so he tried to change to subject, "So, what are you doing there, if you're not an alchemist?"

"I'm trying to create a weapon for alchemists. I call it the ARA, but it's not working so well now."

"How does it work?"

"Well, it stands for Alchemic Range Amplifier. It still a work in progress, but it'll be fired out of a mortar into the battlefield, and it'll create a transmutation circle. The circle will be linked with another one out of the line of fire, and an alchemist will be able to attack the enemy from really far away. It's a cool concept, but I'm not completely sure how to build it."

"Sounds interesting. I hope it works, since it'll help out a lot if we're ever attacked."

"Thanks," Aaron said. The cold personality he had at first was gone by now.

*crack* A green flare appeared in the west, then another, and another. A couple of cars were driving over to the fort.

"What do green flares mean?" Joseph asked.

"Someones coming from the Southern rebel base," Aaron said.

"Oh, I think I should go now."

"Why's that?"

"I'm your uncle's new assistant," Joseph said. As he started to climb down the battlements, he saw Aaron smirk at him, as if he was making fun of his new job.

Joseph ran over to the western gate, where Nathan was already waiting. The trucks drove in very slowly, and a man in a red and bronze uniform fell out of the passengers seat of the first one. Joseph ran over to him and crouched down. He saw many bullet wounds on his chest, and what appeared to be a knife wound on his back.

"Leave him," Nathan said quietly, "It's too late."

Joseph stepped up as two men picked him up onto a stretcher, and ran back into the main fort. The man in the drivers seat slowly left the truck and walked up to Nathan, keeping his head down. He pulled a pistol out and handed it to him. It was plated with gold and silver, and an engraving of a mountain range and hawk was drawn into the gold part.

"Is he with you?" Nathan asked, his voice cracking.

"Yes, sir," he replied, and the men in the other trucks were getting out. Joseph noticed that most of them were wearing bandages, and those who weren't were covered in dry blood. Their uniforms were also red, and trimmed with a bronze color. Joseph guessed that they were in worse shape than they appeared, but the red clothes covered the blood.

Nathan walked over to the back of the first truck, and put his hand on the handle of the metal door that was protecting whatever was in there.

"How did it happen? Is _he_ in power now!" Nathan said, his voice rising.

"We're not sure, but we're pretty sure Morgan Greyback killed him personally. And yes, Greyback has taken over. He's planning to establish his own form of government in the South by the end of the next year. We barely escaped with Master Jonah's body."

Nathan slowly opened the truck's door and looked inside, "Joseph!"

"Yes, sir!" Joseph said, surprised that he was being given a sudden order.

"Get me a large transportation vehicle. The biggest we have. Then, get two snipers, two machine gunners, an artillery leader, and five Majors. We leave next morning.

"W- what?"

"You heard me! Go!"

"Y- yes sir! But where are you going?"

"We're going to the South. And you're coming too!" Nathan looked like he was moments away from crying, so Joseph quickly left.

"Um, snipers, machine gunners, and Majors...eh..." he was walking around the base, only aware of where he was because the main fort was always looming to his left. He found the first entrance he could to the main base, and General Willett passed by him.

"Daniel! Um, Mr. Willett!"

Willett looked over to Joseph, "Yeah. And what happened over there? Those trucks were from the Southern base."

"Someone died, and they were attacked, I think," Joseph said.

Willett stared at Joseph, then grabbed his shoulders, "Who? Who died? Who attacked them! Was it Greyback!"

"They said someone called Greyback came to power," Joseph said, scared of how everyone was so emotional after hearing this.

"Who died? Wh- who was killed?"

"I think they said Master Jonah. Nathan then told me to get some soldiers, since we're going to the South tomorrow."

"What soldiers did he need? I'm guessing you don't understand any of this, so I'll explain while we get the group together."

"He needed, um, two snipers, two machine gunners, five Majors, and the biggest transport vehicle we have."

"Ok, let's go," Willett let go of Joseph and started to quickly walk to the base, Joseph straggling behind him, "The person who was killed was Master Jonah Pierce, the leader of the Southern rebel base. It was only a matter of time before Greyback killed him and took over. Ah, here we have our snipers."

Joseph and Willett went over to two men in a conversation wearing brown cloaks over their uniforms, and carrying sniper rifles over their shoulders.

"Jones, Hudson," he said, and they saluted him, "You're going on a mission tomorrow. Rest up, you're going South. Prepare proper clothing and weaponry."

"Yes, sir!" they both said, and ran into the base, and Willett and Joseph followed them.

"Wait, so who's Greyback?" Joseph asked.

"Oh, yeah," Willett continued, "Morgan Greyback was the second in command to Pierce. He was a really good military commander, a former Brigadier. Although, he recently started to show some strange interests."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll, oh, wait," Willett said. They had made it to a room on the second floor where a few people were working on some sort of machine on a metal desk. One was welding two pieces of metal together, and Joseph saw that they were making a leg. Automail. The person turned the welding torch off, and took off the mask they were wearing. Joseph took a step back in surprise.

"Hi, Mr. Willett," the brunette said with a smile, "How've you been?"

"Not all that good, Aria. There's some trouble in the South. Could you get your brothers? They're needed for the mission that'll be taking the Commander there," Willett asked.

"Sure, Mr. Willett," she said, then looked at Joseph and smiled, "And who are you?"

"I'm Commander Gates' new assistant," Joseph said, and held his hand out, "Joseph Steele, former Maj-"

"Oh, be quiet!" she interrupted, and grinned, "I just needed your name. I don't like formalities like that. Oh, an I'm Aria Davis."

"Well, it was nice to meet you, but I'm in a real hurry," Joseph said when Willett started to tug on his shoulder.

"Alright then! See you later!" Aria said.

"She's a nice girl," Willett said, "I just feel sorry that both her brothers fight on the front lines as machine gunners."

"Yeah, she's really nice. Nice smile," Joseph said, his voice trailing away.

"Now, about Greyback," Willett said, and Joseph snapped out of it, "The top Commanders of the rebel groups in the North, South, and East always hold a meeting in the Western base, where Master Elijah Harrison, the leader of the whole rebel organization, along with being the leader of the Western Base, asks about our progress in battle and our plans for the next year. Last year, Greyback came along with Pierce and a few other Southern leaders to the meeting. Greyback started to bring some new ideas to the table. The greatest goal of the rebels is to overthrow the corrupt government of Amestris and reestablish the democracy it used to be be before Bradley became Fuhrer. Greyback wanted to take it a step farther. He wanted to completely destroy the republic _and_ corrupt governments, then take over Amestris as a dictator. He would then make military service mandatory and take the then superpowerful army into dangerous areas on the border, like the Western and Southern borders. He'd mow down the enemies and take over our neighbors. Then, he'd bring everyone to the north and attack Drachma. The soldiers from the newly takes taken territories would then band together and take over Xing in the east. He was going to continue, but Master Elijah shut him up. Commander Pierce didn't agree, but let him stay as second in charge. That was his mistake. I'm guessing that eventually Greyback got enough followers and he overthrew the Southern base, which unfortunately for Pierce, never had a very big army. That's all I know."

"Why does Nathan want to go there so badly?" Joseph said and looked around. They were out of the base and by the battlements, "And where are we?"

"They were best friends," Willett said with a sad smile, and turned away from Joseph, then started to walk back to the base, "You were supposed to find an artillery commander, weren't you? I'll go get the Majors and the truck."

"Thanks for the help, Mr. Willett!" Joseph yelled, since he was already pretty far away.

"Just call me Daniel!" he said as he walked away, and Joseph started to walk to one of the ladders leading to the battlements. When he got up to the top, he looked out at the desert and watched as the sun began to set.

**Things are going to get interesting soon. And please review. Having people read but never leave a review is really annoying.**


	7. Southern Hospitality

**Whoa! Double updates today! This chapter is starting to have some action again, so I hope you like it!**

**Chapter 7: Southern Hospitality **

"No! You're not going!" Nathan yelled.

"But Joseph said I could!" Aaron replied to his uncle, then pointed at Joseph, who looked from one to the other nervously.

It was the next morning, and everyone was preparing to leave to the South. The day before, Joseph had went to Aaron and told him that he was leaving with them. The next day, everyone was preparing the large transport vehicle that General Willett had gotten for them. When Aaron walked up to them, Nathan quickly said:

"No! I don't care what Joseph said! You're not going. Now go back to your post, and tell Major Belle to come."

Aaron stormed off, and Joseph raised his eyebrow at Nathan.

"What? Get your stuff onto the truck," he said, and Joseph quietly took a suitcase he had gotten, then went into the vehicle. It was pretty big, larger than all the trucks the base had. And although everyone called it a truck, it was officially a personnel carrier. It could carry all the soldiers with some room to spare, and on the outside were two machine gun turrents. Inside it all the men put their equipment on shelves.

"I'm here, I'm here!" yelled a redheaded man carrying his own suitcase.

"Good, let's go," Nathan said, and he and the man got onto the 'truck'.

"This is Major Alex Belle," Nathan said, and before Belle and Joseph could exchange formalities, the two snipers who Joseph had met yesterday entered. Next, two identical twin brothers walked in with smiles on their faces; Joseph guessed they were Aria's brothers. Finally, General Willett came in accompanied by five men.

"You know what to do when I'm gone, Daniel," Nathan said, and Willett nodded, "You're in charge until I get back."

"Yeah, I know. Hope you have a safe trip," Willett said, and he shook the hand of everyone on the truck. He got out, and closed the door in the back of the truck. He stepped back, and Nathan went to the drivers seat as everyone else sat down on the sides of the walls. Joseph went in the front next to Nathan. The truck started driving out the main base and to the concrete outer walls, which opened with little noise. It was decided to leave quietly at four in the morning, since the people living in the base would get nervous knowing that the Commander was gone.

Nathan immediately swerved left, and started to drive west. Fortunately, the Southern base wasn't as far from the Eastern one compared to the other two, so they would be there in about a day. After watching the scenery - which was pretty much just desert - for a few hours, Joseph finally decided to say something.

"Why didn't you let Aaron go?" he asked.

Nathan sighed, "I really don't want to say, but there's nothing better to do...you know that both his parents are dead, right?"

Joseph nodded, remembering the day before when Aaron had bluntly announced that his parents were no longer alive.

"Well, his dad was my brother, and he and his wife were trying to escape with me to the rebel base here in the East. The reason why we left is a story for another time, but we ended up running away from the military. We were found by the Eastern rebels, and we were getting escorted to the base. Unfortunately, my sister-in-law, Larissa, was pregnant at the time, and she gave birth to Aaron when we were on the run. Before we made it to safety, the military found us. It was only a few soldiers, but one of them threw a grenade...Larissa and my brother were both dead. Baby Aaron was in the caravan escorting us. There weren't any cars strong enough to traverse deserts yet. I went into a rage, and I used by alchemy," he scratched his tattooed hand, "to destroy the group of soldiers following us. I took Aaron into my personal care, but I also vowed that I would protect him with my life. He knows this, but...he still wants to go to battle. And I wouldn't be able to live with the idea that every last person in my family had been killed! I don't blame you for asking him to come. You didn't know."

"I'm sorry," Joseph said, "If I had known-"

"But you didn't! It's not a problem. He was just so disappointed," Nathan said, and sighed.

"Also, what kind of alchemy do you even do?"

Nathan chuckled, and put his tattooed hand out the window, "You'll find out soon enough."

"Alright then," Joseph said, "Wait. Do you hear that?"

"What?" Nathan asked, and put his hand back in the car.

"That buzzing...wait, I don't hear in anymore," Joseph said, looking around.

"No idea," Nathan said, and he put his hand out the window again.

This time Joseph was sure of it. There was a faint buzzing sound coming from Nathan's hand.

_What kind of alchemy is that?_ Joseph thought, _Well, I guess I'll find out eventually._

"You should rest," Nathan said, "You barely slept last night, and you obviously didn't sleep the night you left the military. I'll wake you up when we get there. Everyone else is taking a nap."

"Alright then," Joseph said, and he moved around in his seat until it felt more comfortable. He continued to look at the scenery until he finally fell asleep.

Eventually, he could hear Nathan yelling, "Everyone, get up! What if you're taking an nap and get shot in the face? You're just a target! Up, up, up!"

Joseph slowly opened his eyes and looked around. The scenery was different. They were driving on dirt and weeds instead of sand. Ahead of them was a mountain range, probably not as big as the ones in the North, but still. He looked far ahead and saw a building. It was about ten stories high, and it looked like it was built into the mountain. Around it were sentry towers like the ones in the East, but these made no attempt to hide themselves. They were more heavily armored, and each appeared to have machine guns up on top.

"Are we really safe just driving in?" Joseph asked apprehensively.

"I hope," Nathan said, "Greyback's changed a lot...there's more defenses, and it looks like there's a crowd outside of the fortress."

Nathan was right. In front of the building was a large crowd, but Joseph couldn't see more than that.

"We're almost at the first tower," Nathan said, "See, nothing to- Turn to the right, TURN TO THE RIGHT!"

He spun the steering wheel to the right over and over again, and the truck nearly made a U-turn.

Joseph hear a loud banging coming from inside the truck, he he looked behind his shoulder. Inside the truck, on the side facing the sentry tower, lots of bumps were appearing, and along with them, loud clangs. All the men were preparing to fight, and one of the twins started take a ladder up to the turrent.

"No!" Nathan screamed, "If you get up there, you're dead! Just. Stay. DOWN!" He drove around the tower, making sure that it was facing only the side of the truck. Suddenly there was a small explosion as a wheel popped, and the whole vehicle began to wobble. Another explosion. The truck bounced like crazy, everyone getting thrown around. Finally, a third pop, and the truck stopped moving, since all the left wheels were gone.

Nathan jumped out of his seat along with Joseph, and both ran to the back along with everyone else as the bullets continued to clang against the metal. Everyone got a weapon, and a strategy was made. Nathan loaded Sheila, and Joseph held the Magnum in one hand and a Philosopher's Stone in the other. Aria's brothers opened the lock to the back of the truck, and the door fell to the ground. Major Belle jumped out for a moment and fired a grenade launcher. The machine gun stopped, and the brothers ran to their own turrents as the five Majors ran out. The snipers opened small windows on the wall and started to fire.

Joseph slowly stepped out and saw that the tower had been defeated. Three Majors now stood on the top armed with assault rifles, while another one ran inside to bandage his bleeding arm. The fifth one was already dead. Joseph saw men leave the two closest towers and run to them, while a large group left the main base, which was only a minute or two away if they ran. The brothers mowed most down, while the snipers finished them off. Belle fired a mortar shot into each of those towers, just in case.

Then the larger group came, and all hell broke loose. The brothers took some down, but they ran out of ammo. When the started to come down, one got shot. The other picked up a shotgun and started to fire at the enemies. The battle was too close for the snipers to be effective, so they took assault rifles and backed up the group of Majors. Belle also had to stop firing, since it took too long to reload a mortar, so he started to lob grenades into the enemy crowd. However, they kept fighting. Two Majors died, as did one sniper. Joseph had been shooting too, but finally he got a chance. He crouched down, made a transmutation circle, and made spikes kill a number of enemies.

"I don't remember the Southern guys fighting so well!" Nathan exclaimed, and he finally stopped using Sheila. He opened his palm and pointed his tattoo at the enemies. The circle on it started to glow, as did his three rings. The buzzing Joseph heard earlier started again. In grew louder and louder... it turned into a terrible sound, like metal scraping against metal. Suddenly, it seemed like the world froze. Everything became silent. And then...BOOM. Nathans left arm was enveloped in a blue and white light, and a bolt of lightning blasted forward and covered the Southern soldiers attacking them. In a second, it was all over.

Joseph looked around at the enemies, all of which were burnt and dead. The metal tower they were standing by had been hit too, and now the metal was black and bending, the tower moments from falling over.

"That...was your alchemy?" Joseph said, struck with awe.

"I must not have mentioned this," Nathan said as he fell on his knees, panting, "I wasn't just a former General. I was the former Lightning Alchemist."

**How was it? I hope it was a good chapter. I'll try to get another one out by the end of Saturday. And don't forget to review!**


	8. The Rebellious Southern Base

**Well, this chapter is a bit later that I promised, but at least I made it eventually...well, here we have chapter eight.**

**Chapter 8: The Rebellious Southern Base**

Joseph could only stare at Nathan. The alchemy that he had used was more powerful than anything Joseph had ever even heard of.

"How- Unbelievable," he said in disbelief.

"Yeah," Nathan said as he slowly stood back up, "It's pretty strong, isn't it? Although, without my Philosophers Stones," he took a deep breath, "It's not that powerful."

"Still, now we'll have no problem stopping Greyback."

"Yeah, but I don't think Greyback will send any more of his soldiers onto us. I just don't get it! The Southern soldiers would never help him overthrow the country! At least, not this many of them. Oh, yeah, is everyone ok?"

One of the snipers raised his hand, "I'm alive."

They heard a sudden sound, and looked back at the truck, which was riddled with bullets. One of Aria's brothers was kneeling down next to his twin, who was dead. He looked down at his identical face, crying. Major Belle stood next to him, slowly shaking his head. The rest of the Majors who came were dead.

"Will," Nathan walked up to him, "Will, get up. I know how you feel. But you have to stay strong."

"Aria was right," the brother, who was apparently called Will, said, "She didn't want either of us to go, but no. We wanted to. And now- We should have never agreed."

"I wouldn't have forced you," Nathan said, and Joseph squinted, looking over to the Southern base.

"Um, guys?" he said, "I really think you should take a look here!"

"Hm?" Nathan turned to Belle, who handed him binoculars, "There's a few more coming...no...he wouldn't go to the front lines...would he!"

"Who? Greyback?" Joseph asked.

"Yeah...everyone, get ready! If we have to fight, try to kill him! It's top priority! If he doesn't attack, just try to stay calm," although Nathan said to stay calm, Joseph could see that he was shaking.

As Greyback and the small group following him came closer, Joseph finally saw him clearly. He was wearing a blood-red trench coat that was buttoned up partially around his chest. Under the coat was something Joseph didn't expect: an Amestrian military uniform. Greyback's face was pale, and was in contrast with his jet-black beard, mustache, and short black hair. To top it off, he wore a red beret trimmed with gold.

"Hm, I didn't expect you to come so soon, Master Gates!" he said happily with a cheerful, loud voice.

"After finding out what happened with Master Pierce, I just had to come. However, I was attacked before we even made it!" Nathan replied.

"Calm down, Master Gates," Greyback said, and he and his group were now standing feet away from Joseph and Nathan. The people escorting him all wore red uniforms, except for one, who wore an Amestrian one.

"You truly expect me to calm down, Morgan? Really?" Nathan said angrily, and he pointed at the large group of singed men laying all around them, "If I hadn't attacked them, we'd all be dead! Do you even know why I'm here?"

"Of course I do," Greyback said with a laugh, "You're here to congratulate me on my promotion to Master of the Southern base, right?"

"Not at all," Nathan said, and he ran at Greyback. Before he could get there, all of the men with him pointed their guns at Nathan, who stepped back.

"Now, we don't want any of that!" Greyback said, and the men surrounded Nathan's group.

"If we were at my base, you'd have died before you even said hello," Nathan said.

"But we're at my base, aren't we?"

"We're at the base of Jonah Pierce," Nathan said, "You're no rebel leader! You've sided with Amestris!"

"Oh, this?" Greyback said, looking down at his own uniform, "I haven't sided with them. I've just sided with a group of about 100 soldiers who believed in my ideals. And look at what you've done. You've killed half of them!"

Joseph took a step back from Greyback, who had seemed like a nice guy until he suddenly screamed.

"Tie 'em up! My daily speech starts in twenty," Greyback said, and he turned his back to Nathan as the men tied them all up. They would have struggled, but it was obvious that any sign of resistance would end up with them getting killed.

They were taken into the base, which had blood red and black walls everywhere. However, at the end of the first hallway, the walls' colors changed to their originals, which was a calm light red and pale gold. Both of Joseph's gloves were taken off, but Nathan's rings weren't, so Joseph guessed that Greyback wasn't an alchemist. After getting taken down many windowless halls, which probably meant that they were actually inside the mountain, they finally reached a room that they entered.

It was a gigantic auditorium full of people, with a podium in the front. Greyback went up to the podium, and was handed a microphone. To his left stood a man with a black hair and a ponytail, along with a shotgun on his waist and a sniper rifle on his back. To Greyback's right stood a man in an Amestrian uniform, and a Colonel symbol on his shoulder. Over them all were two banners. One was the emblem of Amestris, but there were three drops of blood below the symbol. The other banner was red and had a black skull on it, along with two black swords crossed behind it.

As Nathan, Joseph, and the rest of the group were kept off the podium, Greyback began to speak, "Hello, my fellow rebels. Today has been a great loss for us, but also a victory! At the cost of about 60 men, we have captured Master Nathan Gates!" the crowd cheered, but when Joseph looked at their faces, he could see that they were not truly enthusiastic about this, "Now that the Eastern base has no leader, we can tell them that he died in a tragedy, and as they mourn, we will strike!"

Nathan's eyes opened wide and he started to yell something, but the false cheering drowned him out. Joseph looked up at Greyback, and he blinked a few times. He could have sworn that the man on Greyback's left had nodded to Nathan. The man turned to Greyback, and told him something, and Greyback told it to a soldier. He ran over to the captured group, and they all got untied and escorted up on the podium, though they still had guns pointed at them.

"Look! Look at Nathan Gates, the great leader of the East! Or as he _repeatedly_ refers to himself, former General Nathaniel Gates. Unlike us! I never say I was a Brigadier!" he walked over to Nathan and poked him in the forehead, "My title is Morgan Greyback, the Great and Honorable Commander of the Southern Rebel Forces! Not Former Brigadier, Morgan Greyback."

"You never understood why people in the rebels greet each other like that, did you?" Nathan said, looking at the floor.

"Enlighten me."

"We refer to ourselves as our former military titles to remember our mistakes. Every rebel who was part of it made mistakes as a soldier, and our greeting makes sure that we remember these mistakes. And you made a big mistake a few days ago. You made a mistake by murdering Jonah Pierce!"

Many things happened at once. Nathan spun around as his palm glowed red and blue. A bolt of lightning flew from his hand, hitting the men pointing guns at them. It wasn't as strong as the last one, but the men fell to the ground, paralyzed. The man in the Amestrian uniform was punched in the face by the sniper, and then Will picked up a gun and shot him. The man with the black ponytail elbowed Greyback in the stomach, then jabbed him in the throat. Greyback hunched down, grabbing his throat, and the man threw him into the crowd, which started to cheer.

Before anyone on Greyback's side could come attack them, they were all gone, having exited another door.

"Who the hell are you!" Joseph exclaimed to the man who had attacked Greyback. They were running down a hall, turning corners again and again.

"Robert Pulman, former Major," he said as they turned again.

"Joseph Steele, former Major," Joseph replied, then groaned, "My gloves!"

"Got 'em right here," Belle said, throwing Joseph the gloves, and he put them on.

"Thanks, now where do we-" they were at a metal door, which Robert opened. It looked like a storage closet. At least, until Robert pushed on a part of the wall. One of the walls opened up, and behind it was a large room in which was a pretty big group of people.

"Master Jonah built this in case we got taken over," Robert said, "Apparently, Greyback doesn't know about it."

Joseph looked around. It looked like a bunker, but with lots of beds and crates full of supplies. There was an assortment of around 70 men and women there, all armed.

Robert handed everyone canteens full of water, and everyone looked at Nathan.

"Looks like the plan worked, doesn't it?" he said, and everyone with Nathan stared in disbelief.

"There was a plan!" Will exclaimed.

"Didn't I tell you to stay calm, guys?"

Joseph chuckled as Robert pulled out a large map and set it on a table. They all went around it, and Joseph saw that is was a map of the base.

"Alright, so what's our next plan going to be?" Joseph asked.

Nathan smiled "Isn't it obvious? Now it's time to take back the base!"

**I hope you liked this chapter. I'll attempt to get chapter 9 out in the next two days. And don't forget to review!**


	9. Taking the Base

**I hope you like this chapter, since I had a lot of fun writing it. It just keeps getting more exciting!**

**Chapter 9: Taking the Base**

"So you guys will go here, and I'll go with Arthur and the rest of the snipers..." Robert mumbled.

"Alright, and I'm taking Will and a small group over there," Joseph said, and he pointed at the map of the Southern base.

"And I'll take Belle and my own group straight to Greyback," Nathan said, "Now that he knows I'm in the base, he'll want to protect himself."

"Good, so we're all set. Now let's go to sleep. We'll do it in the morning to surprise him," Robert said as everyone got up from their chairs and went to the beds in the bunker. After making the plans to take back the base, it was around ten, and everyone had to wake up at four.

Joseph went into his bed, and although it was uncomfortable, he was tired, and he quickly fell asleep.

"Everyone ready?" Nathan told the people who were getting ready all around him, "We need to have most of the base secured before the Western soldiers come. They may be powerful, but only about twenty are coming, since they expect us to be in control."

The plan that was made the night before was a simple one. Nathan, Belle, and fifteen others would go directly to Greyback's room. Robert, the sniper from the Eastern base, who's name was Arthur, would go outside and overtake the guard towers. They'd also take seventeen other snipers who were with them. Once the towers were secured, they'd go into them and snipe any people on Greyback's side who were trying to escape. Meanwhile, a small group from the Western base, who Robert had contacted the day before, was supposed to come and temporarily take control of the base until all the possible new leaders could be interrogated to make sure they weren't with Greyback.

Meanwhile, Joseph, Will, and four others would go and fight in the halls. The rest of the people in the bunker would split into six groups of ten and also fight in the halls. At the same time, they would slowly be surrounding the halls around Greyback's room. It was 4:38 at the time, and everyone was set. At 4:40, they'd leave.

Nathan slowly opened the door to the bunker, and he, along with his group, ran out. The groups of ten then left at two minute intervals. Finally, only Joseph's and Robert's teams were left. Joseph was to provide cover for Robert as he ran outside.

At 5 in the morning exactly, they left the room. They took a side path that nobody was going through and started to run down it. Even though the attack had been going on for just 20 minutes, Joseph could already hear gunfire down some paths they passed, and down one, he could see a few Southern soldiers running down it. They stopped and turned to face him, but he quickly used alchemy to make a wall in the middle of their hallway.

They finally made it to the exit, but a battle was going on there. The area around the main door was pretty big, and about 10 followers of Greyback were fighting six rebels. Joseph was about to use alchemy, until Robert quietly shook his head. He crouched down along with a few of his snipers. He waved his hand, and six of Greyback's soldiers fell to the ground from various bullet wounds. Robert ran to the other four. One turned to face him, but Robert sniped him from about ten feet away. He flipped over the sniper and hit another one in the side of the head. Then he dropped the rifle and took out his shotgun. The two others started to fire, but he jumped down and slid past them, and shot one from behind. He then took a bayonet from out of his sleeve and put it up to the last man's throat, who quickly dropped his gun. The skirmish was over.

"Get down," he said through gritted teeth, and the man slowly fell to his knees. Robert them called for his snipers, and they ran out the door, already firing up to the towers.

"Wow," Will said, "He's good."

"Yeah, of course," Joseph said, feeling a little jealous of Robert's skills. Then he turned to the six rebels who were fighting Greyback's soldiers, "Where are you supposed to be?"

"We're group number four," a woman said, "We didn't get very far since they started to attack us, so we shot them as we retreated. We lost four men, and when we got here, these guys were already prepared to fight us.

"I guess that means you're all coming with us. Let's go!" Joseph said, and everyone followed him down the hall that he was supposed to be guarding. The halls were awfully quiet, until they were a few minutes run from Greyback's office. Lots of soldiers ran out of doors in front and behind them. Joseph quickly killed the ones behind them with alchemy, and the rest were killed by gunfire from his now larger group of seventeen. Actually, it was now a group of twelve, since some were killed in the ambush. Joseph wanted to help them, but they had to hurry. The plan was falling apart, and he had no idea if Nathan was alright.

"Here! We made it!" a man said, and he pointed to a door on the end of the hall. As they neared closer, Joseph smelled burning skin, so he guessed Nathan had at least made it this far. When they go into the room, it was empty. Everyone looked around. It was a really large room, and all around it were bodies in blood-red uniforms, although there was about three to five in red and bronze. The desk in the back was black and burnt, and right in the center where he stood, a circle of ash extended outward around the room. It looked like Nathan had made a large blast of lighting come out of his body in all directions. However, although there were about twenty dead, none looked like Greyback.

Joseph was getting worried. He had no idea how much of the base was under their control, and Nathan was gone. He hoped Robert's team was doing fine, when a sudden explosion blasted open the part of the floor he had just walked past. Four more died, and now he was down to a group of eight. After the rubble cleared, Joseph saw what had happened. Right below them was a massive room full of electric generators. The ground was four stories below him, and he saw that right below him was a generator that had just exploded. He couldn't see much, but he saw bullets flying in one direction. After they stopped, a blast of electricity was fired back to the source of the bullets. Another explosion, and out the door, a little bit down the hall, another hole opened up.

"Where's the way to the basement!" he screamed.

"Um, about three minutes from here..." a rebel replied.

"Then move!" Joseph exclaimed, and everyone ran as the man guided them. Every once in a while they'd hear the sound of another generator exploding, and they hurried even more. They got to a room with a staircase that took you all the way downstairs. They exited it, and when they got out, they were appalled at what they saw. The generator room was gigantic, only a little smaller that most floors of the base. It was full of massive electric generators.

"Why do you need so many!" Joseph exclaimed as a blast of lighting shot another one, and it began to glow white. It made a high pitched screeching sound, and then the whole room shook with the echo of it exploding. He looked towards the source of the lightning, and for a moment he saw Nathan, with his left arm bleeding, running between the generators. When he turned around one, he ran right into a group of Greyback's followers. He put his hands on a generator, and his body glowed a bright blue. The soldiers stepped back but it was too late. Nathan pointed with his right arm, and they were gone, along with most of the energy in the generator. After this attack, the lights flickered on and off.

Joseph ran over to Nathan, but before he got to him, he screamed, "NO!" Joseph slowed down, and he suddenly knew why. Nathan's hair was completely standing on end, and he was shaking. He had built up so much static that if he came in contact with anyone, they'd be electrocuted, "Just stay back. Greyback is running around here, along with most of the guys who are on his side. I got to his office, but he had an emergency exit behind his desk. He escaped to here, and the room was destroyed. Are you safe?"

"Y- yeah, I'm fine. Robert made it outside, but I don't think our side is doing really good. When do the Western guys come?" Joseph replied.

"I actually think we might be losing, but if we get Greyback, we'll be fine. As for the group from the West, I have no idea...ah!" Nathan suddenly exclaimed.

Joseph ran away from Nathan as he shot a blast of lighting to an area next to a generator. Right before it hit, a person ran back behind the generator. Nathan put his hands on the generator he was standing by, and everyone retreated. The generator made a groaning sound, and turned off. Meanwhile, Nathan aimed his hand at the generator where he had seen the person. He started to glow white, and a blast of lighting left his body. It hit the generator, which exploded with such force that Nathan, who was six generators away, was pushed back.

Pieces of shrapnel rained down as the ceiling above it toppled down, leaving a gaping hole. Nathan, unfortunately, fell to the ground. Joseph ran over to him, and didn't feel any shock, which meant that Nathan had used up all the energy in his body in that last attack. The gray hair on his head was burnt on the tips, and his arm was surprisingly not bleeding anymore. Joseph looked at the wound, and he saw that the heat had made the wound clot. Nathan coughed loudly, and some blood came out of his mouth.

Over at the generator, a person got up. Using a metal pipe as a cane, Morgan Greyback slowly walked over to them. His uniform was made to cover the sight of blood, but it was obvious. Whenever he took a step, he'd leave behind a red footprint. Everyone aimed their guns at him, but he raised his arms as a sign of surrender. Raising his arms, however, almost made him fall over, so he used the pipe to walk over to them. He got right over to them, put the hand that wasn't holding the pipe in his pocket, and sighed.

"Do you surrender?" Joseph said.

"Not a chance," Greyback said, and he pulled out a gun. Before anyone could react, he had shot Nathan in the chest.

**I worked hard on this chapter, so I really want reviews. I don't care if it's a few words or a paragraph, or if it's a complement or not. Just remember to review.**


	10. A Proper Burial

**...I haven't updated this story for...um...sorry. Well, here's the next chapter. I hope you like it!**

**Chapter 10: A Proper Funeral**

"No!" Joseph exclaimed as Greyback slowly walked back, but kept it aimed at Joseph and Nathan.

"Stupid kid," Greyback laughed, "You may be a good fighter, but you're not nearly as experienced as I am! You've never had to kill a friend because he was a complete idiot."

"What are you talking about, you freak?" Joseph said, "Wait...are you talking about Pierce?"

"Who else?" Greyback smirked, "I wanted to expand the power of the Southern base, but he didn't want to. 'We have no need for a stronger army', he said. 'We haven't been attacked for months', he said. I had gathered about a quarter of the base to join me, but he simply couldn't be swayed. So...what else could I do? He'd never agree, so I killed him with his own gun. Master killed by his second in charge."

"You son of a-" Joseph jumped at Greyback, who fell to the ground, "You die now!"

"No! Don't kill him!" a voice said. Joseph looked around and saw a few men run over to him from around one of the generators.

"Damn..." Greyback mumbled as the men walked up to them. Two picked up Nathan, put him on a stretcher they had brought, and in seconds, they had whisked him away. However, their uniforms were different than any that Joseph had seen.

They wore long black uniforms, trimmed with a shining gold color. The suits went all the way down to their knees, and the shoulders were slightly raised. The suits were buttoned with gold colored buttons, and they wore black and gold berets. One in the group also had a black cloak, which was gold on the inside. All had blood-splattered clothing, but none seemed to be hurt. They had an assortment of weapons on them, including rifles with long, bloodstained bayonets on the ends. Next to them was Robert, who was staring intently at Greyback.

"So, the big Western soldiers have come to kill me, right?" Greyback said as he picked up the pole he was using, and slowly got up.

"No, we haven't," the cloaked one said in a loud, official voice, "We have direct orders from Master Elijah Harrison to take you to the Western base, where you will be given a trial based on your actions."

"Oh, shut up, you stuck up weirdo," Robert said, and stepped up to Greyback, who pointed his gun at him. Robert simply swiped it out of his hand, and threw it to the Western soldiers.

"Don't kill him!" the cloaked officer said.

"I might, I might not...it depends on how he answers my question," Robert said, and he grabbed Greyback by the collar of his uniform.

"Did you order the murder of Master Jonah?" he asked quietly.

"How else would I take over this place?" Greyback said with a grin, "But, Robert! Since when are you on their side? You're my second-in-charge!"

"I was _never_ on your side!" Robert said, and he looked closely into Greyback's eyes, "You ordered the killing...ok...and _who_ killed my mentor? I've heard many things, but I want to hear it from you. Were _you_ the man who killed him?"

Greyback sighed, "Alright. I killed him. Before I could get his body disposed of, a few guys who were on his side took it and left to the Eastern base. If they hadn't done that...well, these idiots never would have come, and I'd be slowly conquering villages all over Southern Amestris."

"That's what I thought you'd say," Robert said, and he threw Greyback to the ground, but not before punching him in the face, breaking his nose.

"Don't kill him, Pulman!" the man from the West exclaimed.

"Shut up!" Robert yelled back, and he took something out of his jacket.

"That's...!" Greyback stammered as Robert took out a gold and silver plated pistol, and pointed it at him.

"My master was killed using this gun, by his second-in-charge. You, the current master, if you truly think you deserve the title, you scum...you'll be killed by _your_ second-in-charge. But I want to be sure if I should kill you or not. I'll ask you one final question."

"Step back, Pulman!" the Western officer screamed, but Robert wouldn't budge.

"Do you regret killing your friend?" Robert whispered.

Morgan Greyback grinned, "Hell, no."

"Wrong answer," Robert said, and he fired.

**The Next Morning**

Joseph opened his eyes and got dressed. He walked outside with Nathan, who was wearing bandages around his chest. They looked around the base. The guard towers around the base were being dismantled of their armor, and in the distance, an armored car was driving towards the base.

The car made it to the base, and Aria and General Willett stepped out, along with a few Eastern rebels. Aria went over to her brother, who had left the base, and Willett went to Nathan, just as Robert also came over. The soldiers who had come with Willett went to the back of the car and carefully took out a bronze coffin with gold and red decorations. They carried it into the base, and everyone followed.

Pierce's body was taken to a chamber in the base where all the former Southern leaders were supposed to be buried. They lowered the coffin into a crevice, and prepared to cover it with a stone slab. All the high-ranking officers looked down at the coffin, along with Joseph, Nathan, Willett, and all the Western soldiers. Nathan nodded, and the coffin was covered. On the slab only a few short sentences were written:

_**Jonah Pierce**_

_**Leader of the Southern Rebel Base**_

_**Former Major General**_

_**Killed in Office at age 57**_

_**"I start where the last man left off."**_

As the group left the chamber, they were greeted by applause. Everyone in the base was cheering for Robert, and for Joseph and Nathan. Everyone they passed by gave them a salute, and didn't lower their arms until they were out of sight. Robert smiled at everyone, but didn't stop walking. They went to the highest floor of the base, and as they went to higher floors, more people in the group broke off, until it was just Robert, Nathan, Joseph, and the Western officer.

Robert went into a small room, which only contained a ladder to the roof. The Western officer followed them, until Robert told him to get out. They glared at each other, but he finally left. On the roof, Robert looked around.

The base was snugly built between two mountains, and directly in between the mountains, the sun was rising.

"Master Jonah always loved watching the sunrise from here," Robert said quietly.

Joseph couldn't help but smile.

**I'm terribly sorry for not updating for so long. I'm not very pleased that the chapters have gotten to the double digits, yet I have less than ten reviews...but it's ok. Review if you want to, and I'll attempt to write chapter 11 within the next couple of days.**


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